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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I already posted (link) that Hakirah vol. 8 Summer 2009 has been published (link). To my surprise, this blog is quoted three times in the journal (pp. 36, 68, 143). Here is the table of contents with some comments:Click here for more

FORUM

Response to "A Hagiographer's Review" by Marc B. Shapiro - Rebuttal to review of his book in prior issue (link).

Reply by Asher Benzion Buchman - Response of the author of the review. Like I wrote about the review, I don't think the reviewer is correct on everything but he has hit on some strong points. Shapiro's attempt to explain that he does not consider calling the Brisker method to be ahistorical an insult because of post-modern literary approaches seems to me to be insufficient.

Response to "Conversion to Judaism" by Eliezer Ben Porat - Critique of R. Marc Angel's article advocating a very lenient approach to accepting converts who are not fully observant.

Reply by Marc D. Angel - Reiteration of his views.

Entering a Sanctuary for Hatzalat Yisrael: An Exchange by Michael J. Broyde and Kenneth Auman - Looks a little familiar.

HISTORY OF HALAKHAH

Rabbi Banet's Charming Snake by David Nimmer - Great article about copyright disputes and the history of halakhah. The solution to the "puzzle" the author tries to solve is, I think, obvious. But the article is so well-researched that it stands on its own even despite this.

R' Shlomo Yehuda Rapoport (Shir) by Chaim Landerer - Another great article about Shir in general and his role in trying to (unsuccessfully) mediate a resolution to the R. Zechariah Frankel and R. Samson Raphael Hirsch dispute.

TALMUD TORAH

Modern Scholarship and Yirat Shamayim by Heshey Zelcer - A review of two Orthodox Forum books -- the one on modern scholarship in the study of Torah and the one on Yiras Shamayim. Basically a discussion on why modern scholarship is important and how to use it within the framework of Orthodoxy.

Who Was Re'uel? Finding a New Solution to an Age-Old Puzzle by Yacov Balsam - An article that tries to resolve a textual problem in such a thought-provoking way that I am writing a post to explain why I think it is wrong.

JEWISH LAW

Tradition! Tradition? Rambam and the Mesorah by Asher Benzion Buchman - An overview of the Rambam's approach to precedent and innovation in Judaism. It seemed to me to be incomplete because it only discussed the Rambam's view and not the views of other sages, but that is not what the author wanted to do.

The Beginning of the Jewish Calendar by Bernard Dickman - I have trouble following articles on the Jewish calendar.

JEWISH THOUGHT

"Faith and Heresy" and "Principles of Philosophy" by Meir Zelcer - A review of two innovative philosophy books in Yiddish that were translated into English. I have one of the books but cannot get into it. So I greatly appreciated this review explaining what the author did and why it is important.

חינוך

מקומו של "משנה תורה" במערכת החינוכית של ספרד והמזרח התיכון ע"י יוסף פאור - An attempt to demonstrate that the Rambam followed in the tradition of the Geonim.

הלכה

בדין טבילה ביום במקום אונס ע"י אליעזר בן פורת - A review of the literature on whether a woman can go to the mikveh during the day when she cannot go at night.